Lifting, supporting, and lowering apparatus.



L. B. IRISH. LIFTIVNG, SUPPORTING, AND LOWERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1913.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. L.

type of such devices which are especially TJNTTED @TATE% PATENT @FFKQE LUTHER B. IRISH, 0F BARABOO, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO F. R. BENTLEY, OF BARABOQ, WISCONSIN.

LIFTING, SUPPORTING, AND LOWERING APPARATUS.

Application filed June 19, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER B. IRIsH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baraboo, in the county of Sank and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lifting, Supporting, and Lowering Apparatus, and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates broadly to new and useful improvements in lifting or hoisting frames, and has particular reference to that designed for use in lifting wagon beds, hay racks, water tanks, wood racks, header boxes, and analogous structures from and upon their wheel supporting frame or run ning gear.

As its principal object, this invention contemplates the provision of a device of the character above set forth, which may be cheaply manufactured, will be durable and eflicient in its action, and will automatically effect the removal of boxes or like structures from the running gear by the power of the draft animal attached to the wagon.

A further object is to construct the apparatus of this invention in such manner that by backing the wagon under the supported wagon box, it may be removed from the lifting apparatus and automatically disposed in assembled position on the running ear.

g The above and additional objects are accomplished by such means as are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, described in the following specification and then more particularly pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto and form a part of this application.

Vith reference to the drawings, wherein I have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention as it is reduced to practice, and throughout the several views of which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts: Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a hay rack in supported position on the lifting apparatus; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the hay rack.

Before proceeding to the description of the drawings, it is desirable to emphasize Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

Serial No. 774,679.

the fact that while this invention has been designed with particular reference to the construction of an apparatus adapted especially for hoisting and supporting hay racks, and has been illustrated and will be hereinafter described in that connection, it may nevertheless be readily employed without change of structure in hoisting water tanks, wagon beds, or any other analogous structures upon their wheel supporting frames.

Coming now to the description of the preferred embodiment of this invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the numerals 1, 2, 3 and 1 designate the four corner posts employed in supporting the hoisting elements. The corner posts 2 and 4: form the entrance to the structure, through which the driver of the wagon directs his team. These posts 2 and 4: are shorter than the posts 1 and 3, the purpose of this construction being to dispose the side frame members 5 and 6 in the common plane extending upwardly at an angle from the posts 2 and 4-. The side frame members 5 and 6 may be bolted or otherwise secured in any desired manner to the inner faces of the posts, and at the upper terminals thereof. In order to effect the lifting of the hay rack from the running gear, in a manner to be hereinafter described, there has been pro-' vided a pair of balance lever beams 7 and 8, which are respectively pivoted to the side frame members 5 and 6, as at 9.

For the sake of clearness-in description, the portions of the members 7 and 8, extending from the pivot points 9 toward the posts 2 and i, will be respectively designated as the portions A and 13, while the portions of the two levers extending from the pivot points 9 toward the posts 1 and 3 will be respectively designated by the letters C and D. Each of the posts 1 and 3 is provided on its inner face with a stop block 10, bolted or otherwise secured, and arranged to limit the swinging movement of the portions C and I) of the members 7 and 8 beyond a horizontal position, as illustrated in Fig. l. A pair of additional lifting levers 11 and 12 are respectively pivoted on the inner faces of the blocks 10, and are designed to cooperate with the members 7 and 8 in the lifting of the hay rack in a manner to be hereinafter described. The free ends of the members 11 and 12 are formed to produce arcuate jaws, as at 13. A pair of L- shaped plates 14 and 15 are secured to the portions C and D of the members 7 and 8 to limit the swinging movement of the members 11 and 12.

If so desired, the structure above described may be equipped with guide boards 16 and 17, which are so arranged that in order to pass between the posts it will be necessary for the driver to pass through the central portion of the space comprehended between the pairs of posts 1 and 2, and 3 and 4.

The hay rack employed in the preferred embodiment of this invention, and which is particularly designed to cotiperate with the elements above described, includes a pair of floor boards 18 and 19, which are arranged in parallel spaced relation to each other, and are bolted or otherwise secured to four transverse beams 20, 21, 22 and 23. On the under side of these transverse beams are secured a pair of longitudinally extending beams 24 and 25, the forward terminals of which are slightly convergent and are braced in spaced relation by a connecting beam 26. At their rear terminals the members 24 and 25 are connected by a transverse beam 27. It will be observed, by reference to Fig. 1, that the beam 26 is arranged with its lower face flush with the lower faces of the members 24 and 25, while the member 27 is disposed with its upper face in engagement with the lower faces of the members 24 and 25. This construction is necessary in order that the hay rack may slide off of the running gear of the wagon without being hindered or retarded.

A pair of bolts or rods 28 and 29 are carried by the members 24 and 25 adjacent their rear terminals, and extend downwardly therefrom, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. A pair of removable beams 30 and 31, which are greater in length than the distance between the side frame members 5 and 6 of the lifting structure, are slidably mounted between the floor boards 18 and 19 and the longitudinal beams 24 and 25. The member 30 is arranged for sliding movement between the transverse beam 21 and a pair of pins 32, while the member 31 is arranged in sliding movement between pairs of spaced pins 33 and 34 carried by the floor boards 18 and 19 and longitudinal beams 24 and 25, rearwardly of the transverse beam 22. It will be noted that when the hay rackis in use, the members 30 and 31 may be removed, inasmuch as they are necessary only during the hoisting of the hay rackfrom the wagon, and during the period for which the hay rack is in sup ported position in the hoisting or lifting structure.

. The actual construction and arrangement of the several parts of this invention being thus disclosed, it now remains to describe the operation of the various elements when the hay rack is being lifted from the wagon and is being returned to assembled relation on the wagon. Briefly, the operation of the various elements when the rack is being lifted from the wagon is as follows :On approaching the hoisting frame, the driver of the wagon inserts the members 30 and 31 in the manner above described and directs his team between the posts 1 and 2, and 3 and 4. It will be apparent that inasmuch as the portions A and B of the members 7 and 8 are longer than the portions C and D, they will tend to swing downwardly when there is no weight on them. This.

downward movement of the portions A and B may be limited by a pair of stop pins secured to the inner face of the posts 2 and 4. These pins are arranged so that the members 7 and 8 are normally disposed with their upper edges parallel with the upper edges of the frame members 5 and 6. It will, therefore, be apparent that as the wagon is driven through the space comprehended between the posts, 1 and 2, and 3 and 4, the terminals of the members 30 and 31 will engage the upper edges of the members 5 and 7, and 6 and 8. It is now to be noted that by reason of the action of the stop members 14 and 15, and downward swinging of the portions A and B when the members 7 and 8 are moved into normal position, the lifting members 11 and 12 will be disposed with a portion of their free terminals below the upper edges of the members 5 and 6. Therefore, as the wagon continues to move through the lifting frame, the hay rack is being urged upwardly along the members 5 and 6 by reason of the pull exerted by the rear bolster of the running gear against the bolts or rods 28 and 29, the terminals of the member 30 will engage the edges 13 of the members 11 and 12, and, as the wagon continues to move through the lifting frame, the forward end of the hay rack will be lifted upwardly by the swinging of the members 11 and 12. As soon as the members 11 and 12 pass a position of dead center, the weight of the rack will swing the portions 0 and D downwardly until they engage the stop blocks 10, in which position the hay rack will be horizontally supported. The bolts 28 and 29 are when the rack is mounted upon the running gear, disposed rearwardly of the bolster and engaged by some part thereof to prevent sliding of the rack when being pushed upon the lifting frame. The arrangement of the bolts permits their ready withdrawal from the rear bolster to facilitate the passage of the wagon through the lifting frame but are disposed when the rack is upon the lifting frame, in a position adapted for engagement with the bolster upon the driving of the wagon through the frame to remove the rack therefrom. It will be observed that when in supported position, the terminals of the member 31 engage the portions C and D of the members 7 and 8 at a greater distance from the pivotal point 9 than do the terminals of the removable beam 31. Because of this arrangement, it is natural that the portions C and D will have swung downwardly when the members 11 and 1:2 swing past dead center.

When it is desired to replace the frame on the wagon, the driver backs between the posts 1 and 2 until the members 28 and 29 are engaged by the rear bolster. The continued backing of the wagon will tend to pull the hay rack in the direction of movement of the wagon,- and the forward end of the rack will consequently be swung upwardly with the rearward swinging movement of the members 11 and 12. When the members 11 and 12 move rearwardly beyond a position of dead center, the terminals of the removable beam 30 will move down on to the side frame members 5 and 6, and,

the hay rack may then be withdrawn from the frame by backing the wagon on through.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most efficient and practical; yet, realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary, I desire to emphasize the fact that various minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as defined in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a removably mounted hay rack having a pair of remov able transverse beams, of a lifting, support ing and lowering apparatus for said hay rack, said apparatus including a supporting structure, a pair of parallel balance lever beams pivoted intermediate their length upon said supporting structure and nor mally angularly inclined with relation to the normal plane of the hay rack, said balance levers arranged in spaced relation for a distance suflicient to permit a wagon to be driven between them, a pair of stop members for limiting the movement of said balance beams beyond a horizontal position in one direction, means for limiting the angle of declination of the balance beams in the other direction, a pair of lifting levers pivoted to said supporting structure adjacent one end of the balance lever beams and adapted to engage the forward transverse hay rack beam and balance the rack upon the balance levers, and means for limiting the swinging movement of said lifting levers.

2. The combination with a removably mounted hay rack having a pair of remov able transverse beams adjacent each end of a supporting structure disposed in vertical spaced relation sufficiently to permit a wagon to be driven therethrough, a pair of balance levers pivoted intermediate their ends to the upper portion of the supporting structure and spaced apart to permit a wagon to be driven between them, said balance levers being normally disposed in an angular inclined position with relation to the normal plane of the hay rack, means for limiting the movement of said balance levers beyond a horizontal position in one direction,means for limiting the angle of dec lination of the balance levers in the other direction and lifting means carried by the supporting structure adjacent one of the ends of the balance levers and adapted to engage the forward transverse hay rack beam and move the hay rack and balance levers to a horizontal balanced position.

3. The combination with a removably mounted hay rack having a pair of removable transverse beams, of a pair of spaced vertically disposed supporting members, means carried by the supporting members for directing and guiding a wagon centrally between the supporting members, a pair of balance levers pivoted intermediate their ends to the upper portion of each of the supporting members and normally disposed in an angularly inclined position with relation to the normal plane of the hay rack, means for limiting the angle of the declination of the balance levers in one direction, means for limiting the movement of the balance beams beyond a horizontal position in the other direction, a pair of lifting levers piv oted to the supporting members and dis posed adjacent one of the ends of each of the balance levers, said hay rack adapted to be mounted upon the balance levers, and means for causing the hay rack and balance levers to be moved into a horizontal balanced position relative to the supporting members.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LUTHER B. IRISH. lVitnesses F. R. BENTLEY, MAUD BATTLES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington. D. G. 

